Rave Drug Use Among Teens

What are some of the items that a parent can look for that would indicate rave drugs are being sold and used?

Vicks Vapor Rub (it’s not being rubbed on chests to relieve cold symptoms!)

Eye drops

Menthol nasal inhalers

Surgical masks

Glow sticks (no, it’s not cute when your teen comes home from an all night party waving a glow stick around! They’re used to enhance the visual effects of rave drugs.)

Candies, such as Skittles or M&Ms, which are used to hide drugs

Pacifiers and lollipops, used to prevent involuntary teeth clenching

The illegal drug, Ecstasy, is the most commonly known of the rave drugs. It gained popularity in Europe in the late ’80s as the rave culture grew, before finding its way to the United States. MDMA is another popular rave drug which has become so widely accepted that it tends to be sold and used openly at raves.

Other rave drugs, which are also referred to as “club drugs”, that are often used at these events include GHB and Rohypnol, commonly referred to as “date rape” drugs due to their ability to make a user immobilized and unconscious. Rohypnol can also cause a memory loss so that users don’t remember what was done to them. The dangers are real for anyone attending raves. Now that you’re informed, the best course of action when your teen asks if he/she can go to a rave is, “Just Say No!”